A sugar free month - anyone else fancy giving it a go?

I Have been thinking about giving up sugar for a long time now but haven't really felt ready. I have decided that now is the time and so am aiming for a sugar free month from the 6 january.

I figured starting with a month seemed less scary then giving it up forever and reasonably achievable... I hope

Still working out my rules but currently they are:

No sugarNo sugar substitutesNo processed food with any sort of sugar or sugar substitute in

So pretty simple so far. I am not giving up the carbs so still eating rice, bread, etc (I am nowhere near ready for boot camp). Also planning on still eating lots of fruit though probably not juice. All this is open to negotiations and suggestions.

I did remember that I forgot to mention I am breastfeeding, which obviously helps. But I'm v pleased. Roll on sugar free feb! I'm trying to get my DSis on board too - sugar dependence is strong in our genes...

Had mega mega cravings last night. Partly because I've almost finished my original target, but also because yesterday was fairly stressful. I had half a pack of figs. Let's be honest, that's quite a lot of sugar! Just masquerading as a healthy treat. Goal for next month has to be to stop relying on sweet comfort foods.

I found the worst of the craving, water retention and bloating went by about 3 weeks. I do now feel loads better except when I eat potatoes, then I feel all bloated and horrid within minutes. So maybe as somewhat says it is something else that is disagreeing with you. Also I was eating quite a bit of sugar but if you were eating loads it may take longer to get it out your system and for your body to get over the shock of going cold turkey.

I'm sorry to say but I don't think giving up sugar is a weightloss miracle in itself, but I do believe you will find it easier to lose weight if you do not have sugar in your diet. If that makes sense. My appetite has settled down so much, I no longer feel the need to binge and if I do eat lots in one go I am then feeling full for longer rather then just wanting to eat loads again soon after.

I've been pretty much eating what I like in the first month, loads of nuts, dairy and bread, so I dont really expect to have lost much weight. Next month, now I feel more stable, I will reduce these things pretty easily I think so will expect a bit more weight loss then.

Hi there, well I feel much better today. No sugar today except in the form of an apple and a banana. I gave the kids rice pudding after their tea and was surprised how much sugar there is in there. I had natural Greek yoghurt which did the job. I have had a day at home surrounded but biscuits and chocolates and have been tempted all. Maybe it has finally clicked. I have been in a much better mood too.

It could be a different story tomorrow, I am going to my mums and she's told me she's done a load of baking today and her baking is lush!

If I can get by with just having her treats and not coming home to binge, I will be very happy

To those experiencing bloating/lack of weightless - have you considered there might be something else in your diet causing this?

Eg I've lost a decent amount of weight but my awful belly looks exactly the same. However, when I've cut out wheat in the past, the belly has been the first thing to go. So wheat is a big one for me, in any form (and so, so hard to give up!).

Another common issue is dairy - if you look on the low carb threads, some people lose weight very successfully whilst still eating some dairy, whereas others need to cut it right out. Dairy produces an insulin response in the body, which I believe is the cause.

Now I'm not suggesting we all dash out and give up everything immediately - certainly my plan is (at the moment!) continue with the sugar free thing on its own until I'm no longer seeing any weight loss, and then have a go excluding wheat. But for those not seeing any results, you might want to experiment for a few days?

And welcome back Beryl! Tis womnale, was time for a nc to something that actually made sense

Hi there I am delurking as I need some motivation. I gave sugar up on 10th january and found when I got to the 10th day it got so hard. I tried again from Monday. And so far doing ok. Though I bought a tub of full fat mango and passion fruit yoghurt which I had for tea tonight. It wasn't until I had eaten a big bowl full that I read how much sugar was in it. I just thought since it wasn't low fat in wouldn't be full of sugar.

I guess I have a lot to learn.

I am following the rules of the thread whereby if its rude to say no then I shall eat it. I also love fruit and don't want to give that up. What I do want to be able to do is to have something sweet without following it up with a massive binge session.

I am also drinking lots of hot water and lemon and can't help wondering if this somehow cheating.

I have felt a right moody mare today, is this part of the process ?

How long do you think it takes for it to feel normal and to get this addiction out of my system.

Sorry for the long post, but this is hard!

One hurdle I got over today was somebody at work brought in rocky road and I didn't have any. It's too early days to trust myself. I know I would have had a piece, got a taste of chocolate then gone to the corner shop and binged on a load of cheap goodies. I want to be able to have a slice a rocky road and stop there.

Goodness me I have got a load of my chest tonight. My name is Dosey and I am a complete sugar addict.

Hello ladies, well done your month is almost up - I'm very very impressed with you all. I seriously need to have another try at going sugar free so am glad to see you're planning on starting a new Feb thread. I will definitely be back in and I will try my very hardest to last longer than 11 days this time . Please tell me it gets easier...it was a constant up hill battle last time and I just couldn't face life without sweet treats, but this has made me realise the extent of my addiction and I really need to try and crack it!

I think it helps if you work out the times when you habitually eat sugar and then make sure you plan in advance what you will have instead. If its usually a big sugar fest time (for me this was Friday nights which were film and chocolate night) make sure your sugar free alternative is something a bit decadent like some really good cheese, sugar free custard and fruit, nuts, or some plain salted crisps. That way you don't feel so deprived.

Hmmm, maybe need to eat crisps or other bad sugar-free treats until the cravings die down. I'm planning on cutting down refined carbs but NOT YET!I'm very bloated still, hoping this will subside. Have lost 1.5 kilos though, and feeling slightly less ratty. Apart from the withdrawal, this fits in with your life well, because you can eat out or at a friends without stressing, unlike most other diets.. Maybe a way to deal with birthday cakes and other SOS is to say you'll have some in a minute and then forget about it. Its easier than declining.

I am interested in joining you, but a bit scared as I've tried to give up sugar before and failed miserably. I ended up fantasising about sweet things all the time and feeling like I had no pleasure left in life! I've found olives are a good snack when I have the munchies. Any more suggestions?

Hi hello I wouldn't worry about losing weight for at least the first few weeks. Just get through the withdrawals and then you will find your appetite settling down. Also I had a lot of water retention in the first couple weeks, it was a bit horrifying but if you just get through this bit it does get better.

Hello, i'd like to join you. I've been sugar free for at least two weeks but im still finding it hard. Im now realising the extent of my addiction. I have to say no to some form of sugar at least six times a day, so i must have been eating it six times a day. I've been feeling hypo glycaemic, swooning, excessive thirst, and worst of all no weight loss! I'm figuring i'll have to do something else to lose weight but for now i'm just trying to kick the habit.

I love it " sugar few club" how cool I'm still going, struggled last few days but definitely getting my head around being sugar free as a life choice instead of it just being a one off month. Well done everyone, keep on in there.

I definitely think you can make the decision to be a happier or 'better' person to a degree. I like your idea of writing it down so you have it in black and white. I did a sort of self assessment a couple of years ago and did a similar sort of thing. Some things were deciding to do something (or not do something), so I decided I would eat better and also that I would just stop being angry about things that I couldn't change. It was very liberating to stop being stressed when I accidentally broke something or things were crap at work.

I also realised that there were some things about me that I just couldn't change. I would love to be a super sociable person who could make small talk and have loads of friends but I have accepted that I just am not that person and that actually that's OK. Trying to be something I am not and failing was just making me feel shit about myself, I am much happier now I have found peace with myself a bit on that one.

Mmm.. Anyway, back to the sugar business

I will have no telling off on this thread, that is the 1st rule of Sugar Free Club. So no feeling bad if you have a moment and scoff loads of chocolate or whatever. Feeling crappy about it will only make it harder and it is difficult enough.

And I think we are all agreed that there are certain situations when saying no to sugar is just not on. This counts as a social obligation rather then a treat in my book. Treats are not good because you can get into the habit of having them at any excuse, just because its Friday or you are feeling a bit rubbish. A social obligation is limited to situations when it would be really rather rude to not have some or it would result in some else being upset. Birthday cake is definitely at the top of the list. Special puddings made by grannies also falls in that category.

Can I join? Coming to the sugar free party rather late but it has taken me a while to pluck up the courage!

Before I start - what is the general consensus about the odd treat? You see it is my birthday in Feb and DH and DD have been planning my cake for a while so don't feel I can decline. I will however request that it is a small cake so it doesn't hang around looking tempting.

On a similar note has any found any sugar free bakes? I've tried to read the whole thread so sorry if I missed them but someone was mentioning banana bread earlier in the thread and a recipe for that would be great. I don't really buy much sweet stuff but I do bake once a week so if I could find tasty sugar free bakes then I would be sorted.

Also what are the sugar free snacks of choice? I am personally very fond of a hard boiled egg! Nuts give me the fear as we have been trained for years that they are so calorific. Are other people over coming that fear? Dh loves those spicy flavoured seeds and nuts (seed doctor?) But as they are so expensive I have bought some ordinary nuts and seeds from aldi and have challenged hime to come up with his own spice mix. Might work!